السفرة كانت رائعة.

If it means the trip, in Levantine it is usually pronounced es-safra or is-safra.

A useful thing to know: the spelling السفرة can be ambiguous without vowels. In different contexts, it can also refer to the dining table / food spread, often pronounced more like es-sofra. So context tells you which meaning is intended.

In this sentence, if the meaning shown is the trip was wonderful, then think es-safra.

Because س is a sun letter. In Arabic, when ال comes before a sun letter, the l sound assimilates to the next consonant.

So:

• السفرة is written with ال
• but pronounced es-safra, not al-safra

This happens in both Standard Arabic and Levantine pronunciation.

كانت is the past-tense form of to be for a feminine subject. Here it means was.

So the structure is:

• السفرة = the trip
• كانت = was
• رائعة = wonderful

A very important Arabic point: in the present tense, Arabic usually does not use a word for is.

So:

• السفرة رائعة = The trip is wonderful
• السفرة كانت رائعة = The trip was wonderful

Because السفرة is grammatically feminine.

In Arabic, verbs agree with the subject in gender. Since سفرة is feminine, the past form of كان becomes كانت.

Compare:

• السفر كان... if the noun were masculine
• السفرة كانت... because سفرة is feminine

A quick clue: many nouns ending in ـة are feminine.

Because adjectives also agree with the noun they describe or refer to in gender.

Since السفرة is feminine, the adjective must also be feminine:

• masculine: رائع
• feminine: رائعة

So كانت رائعة means was wonderful with feminine agreement.

Because رائعة here is not being used like the wonderful trip. It is the predicate of the sentence, meaning wonderful after was.

In Arabic, predicate adjectives like this are normally indefinite, even if the subject is definite.

So:

• السفرة كانت رائعة = The trip was wonderful

But if you said something like السفرة الرائعة, that would mean the wonderful trip, which is a different structure.

It is understandable, but رائعة sounds a little more formal / bookish than what many people would say in casual Levantine conversation.

More everyday options might be:

• السفرة كانت كتير حلوة = The trip was very nice
• السفرة كانت روعة = The trip was amazing / awesome

So السفرة كانت رائعة is correct and clear, but not the most colloquial choice.

Yes. كانت السفرة رائعة is also correct.

Both mean the same thing:

• السفرة كانت رائعة
• كانت السفرة رائعة

The difference is mainly one of style or emphasis, not basic meaning. In speech, both are possible.

A careful Levantine-style pronunciation would be something like:

es-safra kaanet raa'i3a

If you prefer a simpler learner-friendly version:

es-safra kaanet raa-ee-a

Notes:

• es-safra = the trip
• kaanet = was
• raa'i3a = wonderful

The 3 in transliteration stands for the Arabic letter ع, which has no exact English equivalent.